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Showing posts from March, 2014

Delta House of Assembly sacks 26 employees for certificate forgery

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(Nigeria) Mrs Josephine Kachikwu, the Chairman, Delta State House of Assembly Commission, said 26 employees of the commission had been dismissed from service due to certificate forgery. Kachikwu said this in a statement by her on Monday in Asaba, said that those affected were two management staff, 10 middle management cadre staff, five technical officers, six senior admin officers, and three junior staff, while cases of 22 others were pending. She said that the dismissal was effected after a thorough verification and re-verification exercise had been carried out by a team of experts. ``This was consequent upon the infighting by some employees over seniority which resulted in protests that some of their colleagues were presenting fake certificates so that they will be upgraded far and above their equals.   ``The commission engaged the services of a firm of external auditors to carry out certificate verification.  ``The firm has submitted its report and every case was subjec

Court orders arrest of The Sun columnist for contempt

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(Nigeria) An Umuahia Magistrate Court in Abia State on Monday ordered the arrest of Mr Ebere Wabara, a columnist with The Sun Newspapers, for alleged failure to appear in court.  The court presided by Chief Magistrate John Ukpai also ordered the arrest of Mr Chuks Onuoha, the Abia correspondent of The Sun Newspaper, who reportedly secured bail for Wabara on Saturday. Wabara, who is also an aide to former Governor Orji Kalu of Abia State, was arrested by the police in Lagos on Friday and handed over to the police command in Umuahia. He was arraigned on a 10-count charge of sedition and malicious publications in different editions of The Sun Newspapers. The prosecution counsel, Chief Chukwunyere Nwabuko, said that Wabara, along with others at large, was alleged to have on March 10, authored a defamatory article in The Sun Newspaper, page 21, entitled “T.A. Orji’s 7 years Demystification of Kalu’. Nwabuko said the publication was intended to discredit Governor Orji in differe

Palestinians give Kerry 24 hours to solve prisoner crisis

The Palestinians on Monday gave United States Secretary of State John Kerry 24 hours to resolve a dispute with Israel over prisoners after which they will resume moves to seek international recognition. "If we don't get an answer from John Kerry on the prisoners tonight, we'll begin to ask for membership in all United Nations agencies tomorrow," Palestinian MP Mustafa Barghuti told AFP following a top-level leadership meeting in Ramallah which took place as Kerry arrived in Israel.

Nigerian military begins major operation in Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau states

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(Nigeria) The Nigerian Army, Monday, said it had commenced a major operation to put an end to the activities of all armed men and criminal gangs, which have been engaging in wanton killing and destruction of lives and property in three states of North Central part of Nigeria.   Troops have already been deployed for a major offensive which is covering Benue, Nassarawa and Plateau States. According to a statement by the Director Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, “the Internal Security Operations is meant to capture and neutralise all the enclaves of criminal gangs. The Nigerian Air Force, Police and other security agencies are also participating in the operation designed to restore peace in the affected states.        “Law abiding citizens are enjoined to cooperate by providing timely and useful information to facilitate the operation as it affects their localities,” he added.

Nigerian military hits back at Boko Haram abuse claims

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(Nigeria) Nigeria's military on Monday denied claims from Amnesty International that its troops may have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in the fight against Islamist insurgents Boko Haram. The human rights group has called on the international community to push for an independent investigation into alleged abuses after a bloody three months which have left more than 1,500 dead. In particular, Amnesty alleged that hundreds of suspected militants were summarily executed after escaping from a detention facility at the Giwa barracks in the northeast city of Maiduguri on March 14. Defence spokesman Chris Olukolade said the military would look closely at Amnesty's claims but so far had not received the group's report. He told AFP: "It's strange that despite all our efforts to ensure that we observe every detail of human rights requirement that any organisation is still desperate to compare us with terrorists. "It is unfortunate. We f

US ambassador to India quits after rift

The United States ambassador to India resigned on Monday in the wake of a bitter rift between the usually friendly countries following a diplomat's arrest in New York. The announcement by veteran envoy Nancy Powell comes days before India heads into elections in which Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi -- formerly a US pariah -- is forecast to become prime minister. Powell, in a brief statement, did not elaborate on her reasons but said that her decision was "planned for some time" and that she will retire by the end of May in the eastern US state of Delaware. She has been ambassador for less than two years. She is leaving after the worst crisis between the United States and India since the nations started building a warmer relationship following the Cold War. India voiced outrage in December when one of its diplomats, Devyani Khobragade, was arrested and strip-searched in New York on charges of underpaying her servant. US diplomats came under criticism for not

Court rejects Ubah's application to stop arrest over forgery

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(Nigeria) A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, Monday, rejected an application by the former governorship candidate of Labour Party in Anambra State, Mr Ifeanyi Ubah, seeking to restrain the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, from arresting him over alleged forgery. Ubah in the suit, had sought to stop his arrest in connection with alleged fraud, forgery, uttering of forged documents, conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence and tax evasion. The allegation was said to have arisen out of a lease agreement between Ubah and a firm, DTV Limited. Trial judge, Justice Saliu Saidu, after reviewing the case, held that there was reasonable suspicion that an offence had been committed by Ubah to which the EFCC had the power to investigate. "I cannot stop the respondents from performing their constitutional duty and I hereby refuse all the reliefs sought by the applicants (Ubah and Capital Oil) in this case," Justice Saidu said. Ubah, who is the Managing

LASU fees :Students stages protest at Fashola's office

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(Nigeria) The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, on Monday staged a protest at Government House, Ikeja against the hike in fees of the Lagos State University, LASU. About 200 of them stormed the governor’s office chanting songs and carrying placards with various inscriptions. Some of the inscriptions read ``Education is our Right,’’ Fashola Reduce LASU fees’’ and ``What have the poor done wrong?’’. Security details manning the governor’s office gate had a hard time controlling the students as they attempted to gain access to the Government House. Governor Babatunde Fashola, however, later ordered that the protesters be allowed to come and express their grievances. On their entry, Sunday Ashefon, NANS South-West Zone Coordinator, who led the protest, described the increase in LASU fees from N25,000 to N250,000 as prohibitive. He said the increase had taken its toll on the students of the institution as some of them had dropped out because they could not a

Court asks 37 defecting PDP members to resign

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(Nigeria) A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday asked 37 former members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to resign their seats at the House of Representatives for defecting to the opposition All Progressive Congress, APC. The court perpetually restrained the legislators from effecting any leadership change in the assembly. The court was delivering judgment in a matter brought by PDP asking that the legislators should not be allowed to take part in the activities of the assembly. Trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, held that the lawmakers no longer had any business, morally and legally in the assembly. He said they should honourably resign from their seats as members of the House of Representatives, having moved to another political party while their tenure had yet to expire. ``Having perused the arguments of counsel and the constitutional provisions, it is clear and unambiguous that the defendants were sponsored by the PDP and won the election on its platform. It is al

Russian forces 'gradually withdrawing' from Ukraine

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Ukraine on Monday reported a partial withdrawal of Russian troops from its border amid growing signs the Kremlin was ready to de-escalate the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War. The announcement came in the wake of a four-hour meeting in Paris between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that ended with an exchange of political proposals and an agreement to talk again soon. And in Berlin German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office said Russian President Vladimir Putin had personally informed her of the troop pullback in a phone call Monday, but provided no other details. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called the troop movements "a small sign that the situation is becoming less tense". Both Western powers and the new pro-European interim leaders in Kiev have been increasingly worried that the Kremlin intends to seize heavily Russified southeastern parts of Ukraine after annexing its Crimea peni

Confab: Speak for Nigeria, Oshiomhole charges labour reps

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(Nigeria) Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has urged the representatives of the labour movement at the ongoing national conference to speak for Nigeria and national unity when those with parochial views champion ethnic agenda. Speaking in Benin City, Monday, during a visit to him, in his office, by the national leadership of the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction, Furniture and Woodwork Workers, Oshiomhole said: “The Nigerian Labour Congress must be on the side of the Nigerian Nation. They must champion National Unity. They must never be apologetic on the position they take on the side of non-indivisible, one Nigeria. “I know for a fact that when the political class assembles to share resources, there is no North, there is no South, there is no East there is no West. I also know for a fact that when the business class meets at the board meetings of the banks and big businesses and they want to share profits, they share it as if they are from the same womb.

I welcome Obasanjo’s olive branch ---Atiku

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(Nigeria) Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Monday, said he welcomed the olive branch extended to him by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and urged Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of forgiveness in the interest of national unity. Atiku in a statement by his media office in Abuja, said “forgiveness is divinely inspired and is an oil that lubricates the wheels of continued human interactions and engagements." He commended Obasanjo, his former boss for taking this bold and Godly step in the interest of the nation and humanity. According to Atiku, the process of national healing and reconciliation should advance to a new level and extend to other citizens of our great nation, who may have had grievances against one another. He urged politicians to learn from the words of Mahatma Ghandi that an eye for an eye will make our nation go blind. "When I made a similar effort few years ago, it was on the conviction that it would not be beneficial to me before Allah, i

In Nigeria, government doesn’t understand climate change

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By Odimegwu Onwumere (Nigeria) The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change, Hon. Eziuche Ubani, speaking in an occasion in Abuja, said that government has not done its best in terms of proper responses to climate change.   At a meeting with officials of the Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, October 2013 at the National Assembly, Ubani after going through the budget recital on Environmental matters, said that from the low funds being proposed for climate change, Nigeria is in danger of being left behind. PROBLEMS There is lack of information and knowledge about climate change and Nigerians are reluctant to accept the reality. There is low level of awareness about climate change in Nigeria, and the way it is presented to the public. “Government policies have not really encouraged and supported the contributions to adaptation of individuals, households, community organizations and enterprises,” said a Port Harcourt-based J

$1.69m fraud: court dismisses Fred Ajudua bail application

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(Nigeria) A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, on Monday denied the bail application filed by one-time Lagos socialite, Fred Ajudua, accused of defrauding two Dutch businessmen of $1.69 million (about N252.8 million). Justice Kudirat Jose in a ruling on the bail application filed by Ajudua's counsel, dismissed it for lack of merit. Justice Jose said the medical reports issued by the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, showed that Ajudua was suffering from complicated ailments as a result of having a solitary kidney. The judge stated that Ajudua was admitted at LUTH on August 3, 2013, and was treated for hypertension, traumatic haematuria and enlarged prostate gland. She said upon Ajudua's discharge on January 12, this year, the doctors recommended further treatment and possible corrective surgery to ameliorate his condition. ``These reports show that the applicant (Ajudua) is not a very healthy man and that he needs medical attention. However, the repor

S.Korea fires back as North Korea artillery shells fall south

South Korea's Defense Ministry said Monday that its military fired back on the north after North Korea's artillery shells fell south of the western sea border. The North began a live-fire drill near the Northern Limit Line, NLL, or the disputed western maritime border, from 12:15 a.m. local time, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The North shot hundreds of rounds of shells with its artillery guns just north of the NLL, and some of them fell south of the inter-Korean maritime border. In response, the South Korean military fired back at the north with its K-9 self-propelled howitzers. "It was not an exchange of fire, which means the coming-and- going of bullets. Our military fired back in response as the artillery shells from North Korea fell south of the NLL," a South Korean military official told Xinhua. The shells, which landed in the South Korean waters, were believed to be less than 10 rounds. The South Korean military reportedly planned to sh

Ex-Israeli PM convicted of old-time bribery

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Former Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert was convicted on Monday at a Tel Aviv court in a corruption case dated back to the years when he was mayor of Jerusalem. According to prosecutors, between 1993 and 2003, Olmer used his power as mayor to expedite construction processes of residential projects like the Holyland complex in Jerusalem in exchange for bribes from construction contractors. He however, became the first former Israeli prime minister convicted of bribery and the conviction would put an end to Olmert's any attempt to return to politics as he hinted in the past. Olmert was among 13 defendants in the Holyland trial, and 10 of the rest were also convicted on the same day by Judge David Rozen of the Tel Aviv District Court. The Holyland trial has been going on for two years and considered one of the most severe corruption affairs in the history of Israel. The judge did not accept the prosecution's request to delay the rulings and hear a testimony from Ol

CHINUA ACHEBE- A Year After

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By  Obu Udeozo On a rather sad note, Chinua Achebe's story illustrates why inaccurate statistics; shoddy records, and unjust scales become equivalent to illiteracy or even metaphoric blindness. If Chinua Achebe had enjoyed the proper rewards of his labour and honest investment; Africa's greatest novelist had no business inside the type of vehicle that crushed his bones along Enugu- Onitsha road in 1990. At 60 years of age, Chinua Achebe would have earned enough financial leverage to have been travelling in a different class of automobile. The Eagle on Iroko would never have had his career -winding crash inside a chartered Peugeot 504 salon car in which he got maimed. Part of the blame lies perhaps in the character of the transactions between Chinua Achebe and his publishers over plain accounting, transparency and honest book keeping. My next contact with Achebe took place in America. Our first meeting was in 1985 after the three of us: Chinua Ach

UK alerts citizens in Abuja after foiled jailbreak

(Nigeria) The United Kingdoms’ Foreign Office has advised British citizens in Abuja to maintain ``heightened vigilance’’ following the foiled jailbreak at the Abuja headquarters of the Department of State Services, DSS. The revised travel alert on Nigeria was posted on the Foreign Commonwealth Office, FCO, website on Sunday. It was updated few hours after the DSS confirmed that it had foiled an attempted jailbreak by insurgents detained at the Asokoro headquarters of the security outfit. The travel alert advised British citizens to be especially vigilant ``should they need to go to Asokoro or The Three Arms Zone’’ in Abuja. The statement read in part: ``On the morning of March 30, there was an incident involving exchange of gunfire within a Nigerian government compound in the Asokoro area in Abuja. ``The incident was brought under control swiftly, and the Nigerian Government has now confirmed that the incident is over and has declared the area safe. We recommend that British

Chief G.O.K Ajayi, SAN is dead

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(Nigeria) Godwin Olusegun Kolawole Ajayi, SAN is dead. He was called to the English Bar (Middle Temple) in 1955 when he was only 24 years old and became an SAN in 1978 alongside 12 other legal practitioners, Obafemi Awolowo, Remi Femi-Kayode, T.A. Bankole-Oki, E.A. Molajo, Kehinde Sofola, Richard Akinjide, Olisa Chukwura, Nwakama Okoro, Mudiaga Odje, P.O.Balonwu, B.O. Nwabueze and Augustine Nnamani. Of this set, only Richard Akinjide and Ben Nwabueze  are alive today. He was the lead counsel in the famous 12 2/3 case Awolowo vs Shagari (presidential election dispute) in 1979 and was lead counsel in the equally famous 1983 political cases like Adekunle Ajasin v Omoboriowo (Ondo State Gubernatorial Election Dispute), Bola Ige v Victor Olunloyo (Oyo State Gubernatorial Election Dispute). Earlier in 1981, he had successfully handled the landmark case of AbduRahman Shugaba v Minister of Internal Affairs. This was a curious case in which Shugaba the minority leader in the Borno St

Retired Egyptian Army Colonel killed

Militants shot dead a retired Egyptian army colonel on Sunday, security and medical officials said, hours after assailants killed a soldier in the restive Sinai Peninsula. The interior minister, meanwhile, announced that police had arrested the leaders of a deadly militant group that targed policemen in the Nile Delta, where jihadists have deployed from bases in the Sinai. Masked men gunned down the retired colonel on a highway between the capital and the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya, the officials said. Hours before, gunmen shot dead a soldier in an ambush on a military bus in northern Sinai, the nerve centre of the militant campaign. Police and soldiers have been battling a burgeoning insurgency that the government says has killed more than 400 people since the army toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July. The vast majority of those killed were soldiers and policemen, mostly in the Sinai peninsula where jihadist groups are based. Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahi

24 Chadian soldiers killed so far, 100 injured in C.Africa

No fewer than 24 people have been killed and another 100 seriously injured by Chadian soldiers sent to repatriate their compatriots from the Central African Republic, according to figures released on Sunday evening. "There are already 24 bodies identified and collected and more than 100 people seriously injured," Odette Dombolo, the mayor of Begoua, a suburb of the capital Bangui, told reporters. Previously it was claimed eight people had been killed.

21 dead in attempted jail break at DSS detention centre

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(Nigeria) Nigeria's secret police said on Sunday that 21 detainees died during an attempted escape from custody at its headquarters, with unconfirmed reports that Boko Haram militants were involved. A security breach at the facility in Abuja, particularly by the feared Islamists, would be an embarrassment for the government and raise fresh questions about its ability to tackle the extremists. But there was no official confirmation of the involvement of the group, which has been waging an increasingly violent insurgency in Nigeria's northeast this year. Marilyn Ogar, spokeswoman for the Department of State Services, DSS,  Nigeria's domestic intelligence agency -- said only that detainees had died during the attempt. "It has been established that 18 casualties were recorded, while two service personnel sustained serious injuries," she said in an emailed statement. Three other detainees who sustained gunshot injuries during the incident have also died. M